Getting to the root of Jutland

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Anyone who is interested in warfare or the Royal Navy should read this stunningly original account of the 1916 Battle of Jutland, and "the reasons why".

A friend's warm recommendation persuaded me to pick up Andrew Gordon's book, though I thought I knew everything I wanted to learn about the frustrated encounter between the British Grand Fleet and the German High Seas Fleet.

Gordon's tale is as much social as naval history. He traces the lives of the major British commanders back into the 19th century, to show how the fatal code of obedience at all costs stifled initiative in the Royal Navy, and caused Jellicoe to miss his great opportunity to engage the Germans head-on that May evening in the midst of the First World War.

His narrative explains beyond reasonable doubt why those British ships which did fight the Germans fared so poorly. As an ex-naval reserve officer, Gordon penetrates details of navigation, gunnery and seamanship which have escaped even the most distinguished landlubbers among historians. He is also a compelling storyteller, and his weighty tome should frighten no one. It is a classic of the genre.